Depression
by Frozen Fate
Summary: Depression can plague even the most "happy" people. Sometimes, they just don't show it publically.
1. Jett

**Yay for depressing stories. Originally, this was just for Jett, but since i'm too lazy to create another story i'm reusing this one. Over time, i'll probably try to do as many classes as possible. Right now, i'm going to try to finish doing the heroes first though. Most of the things will probably be under 3000 words though... If you have any feedback, feel free to give it because it'd help.**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own any part of Nexon or Maplestory. Except maybe my account until it's eventually deleted or shut down.**

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**Why?**

A young woman was asleep near Steep Hill. She had a gun strapped to her waist and an odd sort of necklace resting over her heart.

_"So that's it… He's really gone… It's just me… Now I'm alone…"_

_ I gripped the core. It was all I had left from my father. That and his legacy. I was a bounty hunter now. Not just one of his sidekicks with Burke. The real deal. And I hated it. I was alone. Alone in Cerberus._

_ When someone put their hands on my shoulders like my father always did, I was overjoyed. Maybe this was all some sort of nightmare. Maybe he just came to get me for another mission. But when I turned around, I didn't see my father. Instead, I saw the solemn face of Burke.  
_

_Burke had his lip set in a straight line, not a frown, but not a smile. His eyes were full of determination. I felt myself blushing self-consciously._

_"Jett. I know that you think that you're alone. Alone in this world of unfriendly faces. Don't deny it, because that's what I felt when my family left me. But I didn't stay like that. You're father adopted me and I had a family again. A sister, too. Remember you're not alone. I'm here for you. Promise me that you'll never forget that. Promise me."_

_"I promise?"_

_"Good. I'll be in my quarters if you need me."_

_ He left the room quickly. Before I could tell him. All these years, and now is the first time it feels right. To tell him… that I like him. That I want him to be by my side. Not just as a friend, but more than that. I rose from my seat and headed toward his quarters. I realize that he probably like me back, but at this time all I want to do is get it out there. For the pressure to be off my shoulders and out in the world._

_I knock on the door to his quarters. At first there's no response. But eventually it opens and I stride in. I sit down on his bed and he joins me. I open my mouth various times, but I don't know how to start the conversation. How to tell him the secret I've kept from him for years._

_"So… You wanted to see me?"_

_"Umm… Yes? I mean… Yes I did. I-I have a confession to make."_

_"Which is about?"_

_"Well, umm I actually uhh, sorta umm"_

_"Faster maybe?"_

_ He smiles, which makes me catch my breath. Maybe this will turn out well. Maybe everything will be completely fine. Maybe.  
_

_"I sort of like you?"_

_I stared at him waiting for a response. How he didn't like me back, or maybe how we shouldn't because we work together. He might tell me that he likes someone else. But none of those replies came. Instead he simply leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. My face erupted with warmth as I stared at him._

_"Same here."  
_

_ He grasped my hand and took the core from it. He looked at it with a smile and placed it around my neck._

_"It's yours. Wear it with pride."_

The young woman rose with a start. She remembered her dream and her past clearly. For they were one and the same. But the memories of the past few months flooded her mind and she sat back down, leaning against a tree. In the moonlight, you could see one shining tear running down her face. Which was quickly followed by another. She clenched the necklace tightly in her hand.

"Why?"


	2. Phantom

******Edit: wow, i just realized i did the last part in first person instead of third... I fixed it, but what am i doing when i'm editing?**

**I've realized over the course of playing my phantom that his story is really sad. seeing as i "specialize" in writing "sad" stories (according to my friends anyway), i decided to try writing about Phantom.**

**I originally started this what, like three days ago? I would have put this up yesterday night, but i got a bit lazy. Anyways, i apologize for any grammar errors you may find. I'm still in middle school, so ehh.**

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**Are You Happy Now?**

Phantom stared into the eyes of the holy bird Shinsoo. "No, no, no no no. W-why. Aria." Phantom muttered frantically. Aria's face was already cold, her eyes devoid of life. Phantom sank to his knees in despair. Only a week ago had Aria admitted that she was charmed by him. Except that it had taken weeks and months of effort, of night time visits. For a short week he'd felt better than ever before. But now, with his love torn away, all Phantom could do was collapse there dazed.

Without realizing it, tears began to streak past his face, something he hadn't done since his childhood. "Aria." Phantom chanted. "Aria. Aria. Aria." Phantom hadn't realized Shinsoo was waiting for him to come to his senses, so Shinsoo nudged Skaia toward Phantom with one wing.

"Take the Skaia. Protect it. Keep it from those who would have done Aria harm." Shinsoo states in his rumbling voice. Phantom reaches down slowly to take his prize, the reason he had come to Ereve in the first place. To get the Skaia. Back then, he hadn't known that he would have fallen in love. _"Are you happy now?"_

When Phantom returned to the Lumiere, Shinsoo's words still haunted him. _Are you happy now? _After months, Phantom had finally achieved his goal. But to what cost? They say one can only truly feel heartbreak after being at the height of love, when they are most happy. Phantom agreed.

The following morning, Phantom was reluctant to touch Skaia. If he ignored it hard enough, he could convince himself that it was all a dream? That everything was fine and that Aria had taken a small permanent break? No. He wasn't going to delude himself like that. Reaching out towards Skaia, Phantom recoiled at the sight of it. A drop of dried blood clung to its side. _Aria's Blood_, he realized.

Nothing he could do would help. Nothing he could do would bring her back. Phantom finally knew what it was like to be powerless. To be unable to do anything no matter what you are willing to do. He lay in his quarters not willing to rise and face the truth by seeing Aria's blood.

A thief shouldn't be stolen from. If they are, then what would stop another thief from taking his or her treasures? Phantom had lost something more important than jewels, or money. You can always get more of those later. What he had lost was his heart. Aria had stolen it the moment Phantom set his eyes on her pretty little face. Once broken, a heart can repair itself, but it will never be whole again.

Phantom had achieved his goal to get the Skaia, but at what cost? Anyone could make a new jewel and make it famous. That's easy. Just give it to a world famous person and ask them to brag about it. A heart can't be repaired just like that. It takes time, more time than Phantom cared to spend.

"Aria." Phantom breathed softly. Closing his eyes, he remembered the long hours of waiting and the weeks of uncertainty. He had been able to charm every lady he had come across except Aria. He had acknowledged that she wasn't that trusting of a thief, but he accepted the challenge. Maybe, in a different time, in a different place, they would have been able to be married. Maybe even have a child or two.

Phantom stayed on the Lumiere, hiding from the truth. Hiding is what thieves do best, isn't it? And so Phantom waited. And waited. For something to happen, he supposed. What that thing was, he didn't really know. So the Master Thief, the Phantom, the untraceable renegade, sulked in his quarters not knowing whether to come out and face the truth or to ignore it for a little longer.

No one can ignore the truth forever. Phantom grudgingly acknowledged that fact with annoyance. Had he been able to, he would have ignored it forever. For the alternative was too horrible to admit; that Aria was really dead. He clung to everything he remembered about Aria – the smell of her hair, her messages, what she looked like, but most of all her personality.

Shinsoo's words still hung in the back of Phantom's mind. _Are you happy now? _Did Shinsoo really think that he was only there for Skaia? That he had never been there as a human and not just as a thief? Phantom had in the past courted countless ladies, but Aria was the first one he wanted to keep. She was the first who had decided that he was more than just a thief with a charming face. The first who had cared about his personality and not just the outside.

Phantom tried not to blame himself for it. If he did, eventually he would go insane. Insane because he had destroyed the one he'd loved So instead, he channeled his rage into the being who orchestrated the event, to ones who made it possible. The Black Mage's general Suu and the Black Mage himself.

Even from within the seclusion of the Lumiere, he heard whispers among the maids about a man named Freud. The man was not a very well-known figure to Phantom, all he knew was that Freud had established a link with the king of Onyx dragons. Other than that, he was a blank book.

It wasn't Freud that was interesting about the news; it was what he'd been doing. He had made a shout-out to all of the people who were hopeful and willing to attempt to dispose of the black mage. Phantom had to admit, he admired this man's courage. Announcing to the world that you were going to kill an all powerful tyrant made you a public enemy. Not that Phantom had never knew what it was like to be hunted.

A week later, he was dubbed a "Hero of Maple World". He had joined Freud's little group of heroes and was now considered an ex-thief. As if he'd give up his lifelong abilities of thieving just for joining a group of people he didn't know. For Aria, maybe. But these people he had no obligation to, save Freud for trying to help him.

Of the heroes, the only one who really tried to understand him was Freud. Mercedes had hated him for being a thief, and that was all that was to it. Aran had disliked his carefree manner, and wanted him to fight several thousand slimes. While barely getting out of doing that, he met Luminous. He hated that guy instantly, and the feeling was mutual. Freud tried to get them to be friends, but it was like trying to mix oil and water. Even if you force them together, they will still never be in perfect sync.

The day they were supposed to confront the Black Mage, you could say Phantom was a tad distracted. Recent information Freud had gathered showed that Suu and Orchid were traveling away from their base in the Temple of Time. The other heroes had told him that they should focus on taking down the Black Mage and not just some petty general. But despite all of the things the heroes had done for Phantom, the reason he had joined the heroes was still clear in his mind. Revenge.

First, Phantom wanted to take down Suu. He was the one who had killed Aria. In return, he should stab his puny self and his sister over and over again a thousand times. In reality, Phantom knew he should have made it as quick as possible to go back and help the other heroes, but he couldn't help wondering. What if the other 4 could take the Black Mage? Then couldn't he be free to torture Suu in whatever way he could think of?

Later, Phantom's meeting with Luminous made him decide to go after Suu. If the idiot didn't want his help, then he could just try his luck with the others. After hunting Suu down, Phantom made him pay. Phantom made him pay for each and every day he had spent mourning Aria. Suu yelled and screamed in pain until his voice was hoarse. Of course, Orchid came to help after realizing what was happening. She barely escaped with her life.

_~300 years later~_

In the shadows of the celebration, Phantom approached Shinsoo after the confrontation with Hilla. The person he'd been avoiding for three hundred years. "No. I'm not" Phantom said quietly. Shinsoo gave him a hard look then went back to resting. Without a reason to stay any longer, Phantom disappeared in a shroud of cards.

"One day we'll be together again Aria. Just wait for me. I have some unfinished business here." Phantom whispered on the bow of the Lumiere. The Lumiere burst through the storm clouds into a bright sunny atmosphere. "Wait for me…"

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**Is Suu actually called "Lotus" and Orchid named "Orca"? I really don't know, cuz in GMS i think they called Suu "Lotus" but i heard elsewhere that it was Suu...  
I think i'll do Mercedes next.**


	3. Mercedes

**Here's Mercedes... i really didn't know what to do for her, so i just made her have Monophobia. I ran out of ideas i guess...**

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**Standing Alone**

Mercedes hadn't always been a solo kind of person. She had preferred to stick with a group, as she was very vulnerable to injury. She worked relatively well with Freud and Aran. But now, with Freud dead and Aran potentially dead, she was alone. It was an odd experience, not having anyone else to talk to or be with.

Newly awakening from the Black Mage's curse made her feel that way, though. All of the other elves were still frozen. The children, the teachers, the traders, even the elders. Mercedes could always rely on Astilda and Astilda could always rely on her. The motherly figure that had always been in her life, just like the trees and the flowers, was still frozen.

Secretly, Mercedes had feared this day. The day she would let down her people. The day that she was helpless to even do anything for them. And finally, the day she would be truly alone. Her people had depended on her, she was the Queen! But she had failed them. In the normally bustling town square of Elluel, was silence. Not a single bug or animal broke the silence as Mercedes trudged along quietly, wishing for things that could never be.

Not only had she waken alone, she had discovered that the ice had siphoned her powers away. Her resulting strength equaled that of a small 40 year old child! The powerful Queen… reduced to training back up to her previous position. Perhaps all of the other heroes that had survived the ice had become like this.

They say that the ones that are highest have the farthest to fall. Mercedes had fallen… but she had survived. Her resolve was still strong. She could fight back, and become the one she once was. The potential still resided in her. It would just take a lot of time and effort to make a comeback.

As well as reduce her strength, the curse ruined her favorite bow-gun. She had to buy one, not that the shopkeeper knew she was buying, one for her new skill level. It was humiliating. This was the last thing that the Black Mage could do before being sealed away… what would have happened if the seal was destroyed before being completed? Mercedes tried not to think about it.

If anyone could see her now… fighting the training creatures for babies, they'd laugh. Phantom in particular. He delighted in annoying others, but mostly Luminous. Still, if he had survived and not been reduced to this state, he would laugh at her. Gritting her teeth, Mercedes kept on reducing the tiny creatures into dust.

Perhaps, perhaps the world had forgotten about the elves in the time they were sealed. It certainly seemed so when Mercedes arrived at Ellinia. All of the fairies and humans had had no idea that they were talking to the Queen of the Elves, one of the five legendary heroes. Actually, when asked about that, the humans had said that the heroes were a made up bedtime story. Humans really were clueless sometimes.

She still hadn't seen any of the other heroes. None of the elves had been freed from the ice either. Mercedes sat down in the center of the town square staring at the streets. She could almost remember the fun she had had growing up with friends, becoming queen, and everything. This was a whole new challenge, something she'd never been familiar with.

Mercedes had never been truly alone before. Always with her were allies, friends, and comrades. Tears slipped from her eyes without her intention. Perhaps, she would never meet an old friend, the other heroes had died due to being human, and all of the other elves couldn't break free. For the first time, Mercedes wondered why the world had to do this to her of all people.

Discovering her deepest fears and wrenching them out seemed to be something that Minerva, or whoever controlled this world liked. Her insecurities were revealed for all who were here to see. In fact, Mercedes would even rather have Phantom laughing his guts out at her than have no one who knew her.

It was then when Mercedes realized how weak she was. She was crying, crying because she had lost everything. But when she thought about it, she hadn't changed at all from the ice. It had preserved her – perhaps all of the others were. Perhaps all of them were waiting for her somewhere out there in the world.

Mercedes got up from her position at the town and left to find them. Really, if they were out training, she couldn't fall behind could she? She would probably meet them on the way. And she would meet them. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or even in this year, but she would find them. For the first time, Mercedes stood alone.

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**I might actually do another one for Mercedes next, but i'm not really sure whether i should or not. It's Mercedes x Orca for some reason. If i don't do Mercedes again, i really don't know who to do next, but eh. Maybe Aran, with memory loss.**


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